Unified Communications for Ubuntu Server Edition: Opportunity Rings

Unison Technologies is fulfilling its promise to offer free unified communications software on Ubuntu Server Edition. An announcement could emerge as soon as this week. I met Unison Chief Marketing Officer Rurik Bradbury a few weeks ago to learn about the company's Ubuntu strategy. Here's a recap.

First, to be clear: Unison's unified communications software is not open source. But Unison will offer a free, advertising-driven version of its unified communications software to customers running Ubuntu Server Edition.

The big question: Will ad-driven unified communications software take off? Nobody will know for sure until Unison for Ubuntu Server Edition ships shortly.

Countering Microsoft

Still, it's clear that Canonical and Unison are determined to compete with Microsoft's Unified Communications efforts. In fact, Canonical has signed on to be a sponsor/advertiser on the free unified communications software for Ubuntu.

The early word on Unison's software seems promising. A recent eWeek review of the software concluded:

"Unison Server and Desktop unified communications software offers a good, basic UC experience, but lacks too many features to be useful to enterprises with advanced UC needs."

Still, "free" is a compelling price tag -- especially for small VARs and small businesses that are looking for cost-effective technologies amid the recession.

The Bigger Picture

Overall, I think Unison for Ubuntu Server Edition represents a small but significant step in Canonical's ongoing server initiative. The Unison for Ubuntu release just as:

Canonical prepares an upgraded version of Landscape -- a remote management tool and SaaS (software as a service) platform for Ubuntu servers and desktops.

Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth starts discussing Ubuntu Server Edition shifting to the cloud with the anticipated release of Ubuntu 9.10 in October 2009.

It's safe to say Canonical will continue the server assault by holding discussions with Dell, IBM and numerous server application providers through the rest of 2009. In the meantime, watch for Unison on Ubuntu Server Edition to debut really soon.

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Discuss this Article 5

Rurik Bradbury (not verified)

on Feb 24, 2009

Hello Joe -- one point of clarification. Ubuntu/Canonical is not a sponsor of Unison (in either the advertising or the 'project sponsor' sense). After we started the advertising sponsorship in December, there were concerns that it may be confused with a 'project sponsorship' (such as 'Canonical, sponsor of Ubuntu') so we discontinued the ad-sponsorship to avoid this confusion.
Unison Technologies and Canonical are still working together to promote SMB IT running on Linux -- but just not in a 'sponsor' relationship.
Rurik

Mr. Panettieri,
Say, can you ask your contact at Unison what is up with 3 States being prevented from having/accessing the software?
Not pointing at Unison. But if there is some State legal restriction then I need to put bugs in the ear of lawmakers here in Texas to get it changed.
Thanks!

JohnMc: Here is an official comment from a Unison spokesman:
"Unison is not currently offered in Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, due to the litigation climate in these jurisdictions. Because Unison is a young, highly-innovative company and its free, sponsor-supported distribution model is an industry-changing concept, the company has taken this step in order to protect itself. However, we hope to offer the software in these states at a future date.
Further, Unison may not be used or sold in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Libya, Sudan, Syria, and any other jurisdiction to which US companies are restricted from exporting software."